Learn how to cook frozen food in your air fryer for a quick and easy way to thaw, heat up leftovers, and cook pre-made frozen foods. The air fryer gives frozen food the best texture and cooks it up quickly with little mess.
If you're completely new to the air fryer, I recommend you start by going to my Air Fryer Get Started Guide, and then come back here to cook up some delicious frozen foods.
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Why The Air Fryer Is Great For Cooking Frozen Foods
- It's quick, much quicker than using the oven.
- It's easy, at least as easy as any other cooking method.
- Less grease and oil compared to deep fat frying or cooking stovetop. We need just a little, or no, oil when air frying!
- Great texture thanks to the circulating air. It crisps everything up on all sides and cooks the food evenly so there's less risk of overcooking it.
- Super simple clean-up. No oil to get rid of, no parchment paper to throw away, no pan to clean... and most air fryer baskets you can just pop in the dishwasher after cooking!
General Process for Air Frying Frozen Food
When air frying frozen foods, there's one simple, general process to follow - no matter what you're cooking. There are just a few decisions to make along the way, and I will walk you through each of them below.
1. Do I Need To Defrost My Food First?
No, in general, it's best to air fry frozen food straight from frozen. This is always true for pre-cooked storebought frozen foods like French fries or mozzarella sticks. It's also generally true for other foods like steak, salmon, sausages, bacon, and chicken.
2. Should I Add Oil?
I recommend adding a little bit of oil for almost all foods, as I find it helps with the crisp and that perfect golden color. One of the few exceptions is when cooking fish sticks, where I find oil makes them soggy, even if you add just a little bit.
- For most frozen foods, I recommend adding a small amount of oil.
- Instead of oil, you can also use cooking spray.
- Oil helps crisp the food up and gives it a nice golden color.
- Too much oil can make the food soggy instead of crispy.
- You can use olive oil or a neutral cooking oil, or whatever oil you generally like to use for cooking.
3. Choosing The Right Temperature
The temperature you choose can make a big difference. Here are some tips to help guide you:
- Generally, go one step below what you would use in the oven. The recommended oven temperature for frozen foods will usually be stated on the bag.
- If the bag says 400°F (200°C), go for 350°F (180°C)
- If the bag says 450°F (225°C), go for 400°F (200°C)
- For frozen foods filled with cheese, like mozzarella sticks or chili cheese nuggets, keep it at 350°F (180°C) to avoid the cheese leaking out.
4. Should I Preheat My Air Fryer?
Generally, I do recommend preheating your air fryer. However, when cooking frozen foods, this does not make as much of a difference.
I usually preheat it if I have time, and if I'm in a hurry I skip it. Skipping it often adds a few minutes to the cooking time, but sometimes that's preferable.
5. How Much Can I Cook At The Same Time?
You don't want to overcrowd your air fryer, as this will affect the result negatively.
- For the crispiest result, always cook in a single layer.
- Fries, potato wedges, veggies, etc. can overlap, but you should still not fill your air fryer basket more than halfway - the less overlap, the crispier the result!
- Steaks, chicken, spring rolls, dumplings, and similar foods should always be cooked in a single layer.
- If your food is frozen together, for example when cooking multiple burgers, you can air fry for a few minutes to thaw, and then separate them.
6. How Long Should I Cook It?
A great thing about the air fryer is that it's so easy to check on your food while it's cooking. So you can start with a rough idea of the time and then adjust as you go.
As with the temperature, the bag your food came in will give you a good starting point, adjusted as follows:
- Generally, the food will cook in about half of the time it would in the oven
- A smaller air fryer, will cook the food quicker
7. Do I Need To Flip Or Mix The Food?
Despite the air fryer circulating the air, I find you get the best results when you flip, mix, or shake your food at least once halfway.
8. When Is It Done?
How you decide when your food is done depends on what type of food you are cooking. Regardless, using a meat thermometer is the easiest way to check for doneness.
If you don't have one, cut into the food and check that it is adequately hot and/or cooked all the way through.
- Pre-cooked and ready-to-eat frozen foods should always be cooked to an internal temperature of 165°F (74°C). This includes leftovers and casseroles.
- Food cooked from raw - like steak or chicken - needs to be cooked to the same internal temperature as with other cooking methods. The US FDA recommends the following internal temperatures:
- Poultry (chicken / turkey): 165°F (74°C)
- Beef, pork, veal and lamb (chops, roasts & steaks): 145°F (63°C)
- Ground meat: 160°F (71°C)
- Fish: 145°F (63°C)
- Shrimp: Pearly and opaque flesh
FAQ
For more answers to all your Air Fryer questions, check out my extensive Air Fryer FAQ.
Yes, you can absolutely cook frozen meat straight from frozen in your air fyer.
No, you can cook chicken straight from frozen in the air fryer, but it will take longer than cooking it after thawing.
Yes, you can! Just make sure the container is safe for the oven (this means it will be fine in the air fryer as well) and that it fits inside. If not, you can move it to another oven-safe dish that fits first.
Yes, compared to the oven, frozen food cooks faster in an air fryer.
Specific Cook Times & Temperatures
Below you will find cook times and temperatures for common frozen foods. For most of these, you can click the link to go to a full guide to cooking this specific food - complete with tips & tricks.
These cook times have been tested in a Philips HD9252/90 Air Fryer* and a Ninja Foodi DZ401 DualZone XL*. Cook times can vary with your air fryer model.
Side Dishes & Veggies
- French Fries: 12-14 minutes at 390°F (200°C)
- Crinkle Fries: 12-14 minutes at 390°F (200°C)
- Sweet Potato Fries: 12-14 minutes at 390°F (200°C)
- Curly Fries: 12-14 minutes at 400°F (200°C)
- Waffle Fries: 12-15 minutes at 390°F (200°C)
- Green Beans: 4 minutes at 390°F (200°C)
- Broccoli: 6-8 minutes at 390°F (200°C)
- Cauliflower: 8-10 minutes at 390°F (200°C)
Beef & Pork
- Steak: 10-15 minutes at 390°F (200°C)
- Bacon: 7-9 minutes at 390°F (200°C)
- Meatballs: 6 minutes at 350°F (180°C)
- Burgers: 5-10 minutes (depending on thickness) at 400°F (200°C) + 5 minutes resting
- Sausages: 12-14 minutes at 390°F (200°C) for thin sausages and 360°F (180°C) (thick sausages)
- Hot Dogs: 8-10 minutes at 390°F (200°C)
Chicken & Turkey
- Boneless Chicken Wings (raw): 15 minutes at 350°F (180°C) to an internal temperature of 165°F (74°C)
- Chicken Breasts (raw): 25-30 minutes at 390°F (200°C) to an internal temperature of 165°F (74°C)
- Chicken Patties: 16-18 minutes at 360°F (180°C)
- Chicken Nuggets (pre-cooked): 8 minutes at 400°F (200°C)
- Chicken Fries: 4 minutes at 400°F (200°C)
- Chicken Wings (pre-cooked): 10-15 minutes at 400°F (200°C)
- Chicken Wings (raw): 12-17 minutes at 400°F (200°C)
- Chicken Tenders (raw): 10 minutes at 390°F (200°C)
- Chicken Cordon Bleu: 10-15 minutes at 400°F (200°C)
- Fried Chicken Wings: 12-14 minutes at 360°F (180°C)
- Fried Chicken Drumsticks: 16-20 minutes at 360°F (180°C)
- Fried Chicken Breasts: 25-30 minutes at 360°F (180°C)
- Turkey Burgers: 9 minutes (can vary depending on thickness and type) at 360°F (180°C)
Fish & Seafood
- Fish Sticks: 8 minutes at 390°F (200°C) (no oil!)
- Shrimp (pre-cooked): 4-6 minutes at 400°F (200°C)
- Salmon: 12-15 minutes at 360°F (180°C)
Vegan & Vegetarian
- Veggie Burgers: 10-12 minutes (depending on thickness and type) at 400°F (200°C)
Snacks & Appetizers
- Chili Cheese Nuggets: 5 minutes at 400°F (200°C)
- Dumplings & Potstickers: 6-8 minutes at 350°F (180°C)
- Egg Rolls: 12 minutes at 400°F (200°C)
- Hot Pockets: 13 minutes at 400°F (200°C)
- Mozzarella Sticks: 4 minutes at 350°F (180°C)
- Onion Rings: 6-9 minutes at 400°F (200°C)
- Pizza: 5-7 minutes (thin crust) or 10-15 minutes (thick crust) at 400°F (200°C)
- Spring Rolls: 8 minutes at 400°F (200°C)
- Garlic Bread: 12 minutes at 360°F (180°C
- Jalapeño Poppers: 6-8 minutes at 400°F (200°C)
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